FOC Working Group 3 Publishes Draft Report Executive Summary

May 2015
Freedom Online Coalition

FOC Working Group “Privacy and Transparency Online” focuses on the relationship between governments and information & communications technology (ICT) companies, with a particular emphasis on respecting human rights online, including freedom of expression and privacy.

At the Freedom Online Ulaanbataar conference, Working Group 3 published a draft executive summary of a forthcoming report on transparency about government requests to ICT companies for user information or content restriction, specifically in national security and law enforcement contexts.

Over the last few months the group has conducted informal consultations with company and government representatives, looking at how both parties publicly disclose information about the process, number and nature of these government requests. We inquired into the current state of affairs, challenges to transparency (including legitimate law enforcement and intelligence needs), as well as opportunities for improvement.

The draft executive summary highlights the group’s methodology and consultation findings, as well as some initial recommendations and areas for further research. The full report will be published this summer.